Submitted by Isabel O’Keefe on the 2018 winter session program in Brazil sponsored by the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences…
After months of preparing, we finally made it to Brazil. We are currently in Amazonas, one of the states in this vast, beautiful country. The humidity hit us all the second we walked off the plane. The warmness here is inviting. Upon arriving to Manaus we spent the day in the city touring before getting on another plane to travel further northwest into a city known as Tefe, where we took another two hour boat ride to a small floating lodge on a sustainably developed ecological reserve. Although it was a lot of traveling, this is every environmental studies major’s dream. To really get into the wilderness and witness something as amazing as the rain forest firsthand is almost indescribable. We slept in little wooden huts with mosquito nets over our beds and no air conditioning or power.
So far, Brazil has been a great experience. Getting out of my comfort zone and witnessing communities and cultures surrounding the Rio Solimões, and Rio Japurá rivers of the Amazon was something I will never forget. I’ve come to learn that Portuguese is a very hard language to understand, but trying to communicate with the friendly people in the area has become half of the fun. Being on the Mamiaura Ecological Reserve has made me appreciate the little things, but also realize there’s a lot more out there in the world, beyond the daily life so many Americans have become accustomed to. The people surrounding the rivers have grown up with a deep understanding and appreciation for the land around them, which I wish so many others back at home would come to learn. With only one day left on the Reserve, we’ll switch gears and be off to the city of Rio de Janeiro where we will spend the rest of the month.
